CT^D^ 



GlC> 



THREE REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS 

Capt.-Lieut. William F., Capt. James and 
"Private" James Gaines. 



{Banner, October 20, 1920.) 



'/• 



Historians and descendants of "Capt. 
James Gaines" (Virginia and Tennes- 
see) and "Capt.-Lieut. William Fleming 
Gaines" (Virginia), soldiers of the Rev- 
olutionary War, have confused, it seems 
to appear, the military "records" of the 
tvi'o men, caused largely, if not entirely, 
by both being designated "captain," born 
in Virginia, and in the same war. 

"Captain" James Gaines (born in Cul- 
pepper County) led the Virginia militia 
(Volunteers), was wounded at the bat- 
tle of Guilford Courthouse in March, 
1781. (See War Department, and Heit- 
man Histories, he an expert of that de- 
partment.) 

There appears to be no "record" show- 
ing that "Captain" James was in the 
"artillery," but the "records" and his- 
tory clearly show "Capt.-Lieut" William 
P. Gaines was in the "Continental Ar- 
tillery" and for "six years" under Capt. 
Charley Harrison with General Wash- 
ington in the East. (See Heitman's 
Books and Virginia Military Land War- 
rant No. 456 to "William Fleming 
Gaines, Captain-Lieutenant, artillery 
term, six years, issued April 28, 1783," 
and Kentucky Land Office records. War 
Department, and Lossing's Pict. Field 
Book of Revolution, pages 434-5, where 
he is indexed, "Gaines, Captain, at Eu- 
taw Springs;" Gibb's Histoi-y of Amer- 
ican Revolution, 146; McGrady's "South 
Carolina in the Revolution, 1780-1783.") 

Each of these historians speak of the 
brilliant work "Captain" and "Captain- 
Lieutenant William Fleming Gaines" did 
with his "artillery" at the battle of Eu- 
taw Springs. A few quotations follow: 

"Battle of Eutaw Springs: 

"At the commeiu- nient two three- 
pc'.:!ders under C;iut-Licut. Gaines ad- 
vanced with the fron'J"TlTi'o. . ".'"■. Tile 
enemy's cannon swept the road with de- 
structive fire and until Colonel Williams 
brought up the artillery of Gaines in full 
gallop and returned their fire with se- 
vere effect." 

"The British attack soon yielded and 
fell back to their lines, dividing right 
and left and taking position on the 
flanks. At this moment one of the Brit- 
ish pieces was disabled, and both of 
Gaines' three-pounders were dismounted 
. . . A great number fell, and the re- 
mainder were thrown into confusion. 
Majorbanks perceived this, sallied out, 
seized the two pieces, and ran them un- 
der the window of the house. One of 
these was soon rescued by Lieutenant 
Gaines, and remained with the Ameri- 
cans a trophy of victory." Lossing, 
supra, indexed (as stated) "Gaines, Cap- 
tain, at Eutaw Springs." 

Gibbs says: "The three-pounders un- 
der Capt.-Lieut. Gaines moved in the 
road with the first line, which was 
equally distant to the right and left of 
it." . . . 

McGrady, at page 448, states: "Two 
three-pounders under Captain Gaines 
moved in the road with the first line 
equally distant to the right and left," 
and is indexed thus: "Gaines, Capt. 
Wilham Fleming Gaines, of Virginia 
takes part in the battle of Eutaw 
Springs." 

In the "Life, Letters, and Papers of 
Gen. Nathaniel Greene," his nephew, G. 
W. Green, speaks of the "artillery" 



work, at the battle of Eutaw Springs, of 
Captain-Lieutenant Gaines (if the writer 
hereof mistakes not). 

In no known "record" does it appear 
that "Captain Gaines" or "Capt. James 
Gaines" and his "volunteer militia" (or 
without them) was in this great Eutaw 
Springs battle, fQu^ht September, 1781. 
General Gi'tSn'J 'laJt']3sed^tb~~"'tToIuiiel 
Charles Harrison, Continental Army" 
(under whom Capt.-Lieut. William F. 
Gaines served) a letter from "High Hills 
of Santee" (Eutaw Section), and speaks 
of "Captain Gaines' 'artillery' work and 
'Captain Ragsdale, of Harrison's artil- 
lery.' " 

This letter, by using the term "Cap- 
tain Gaines," has caused descendants of 
"Capt. James Gaines" to claim that he 
was the "Captain Gaines" to whom Gen- 
eral Greene refers in this letter. 

Virginia Magazine of History and 
Genealogy (12-'203-4) reads as follows: 

"Capt. James Gaines was a soldier and 
a statesman, much honored in North 
Carolina, where he settled (Surry 
County) soon after the Revolution, and 
died in Sullivan County, Tenn." 

"He was a nephew of Jud-r; Edmund 
Pendleton. His father, WillN'^.i Gaines, 
married Isabella Pendleton (and Mary, 
her sister, married James Gaines, a 
brother of William). Gen. Edmund P. 
Gaines was the son of this Capt. James 
Gaines, who (says 'Daring Deeds of 
American Generals'), in the latter p^art, 
of the Revolution, commanded a com- 
pany of volunteers and did a good serv- 
ice in that capacity. At the close of the 
war he (Capt. James Gaines) removed 
to the northwest border of North Caro- 
lina. He represented the county (Surry) 
in which he resided in the Legislature 
of that State, and was afterwards a 
member of the convention which rejected 
the Federal Constitution. Like many of 
the most patriotic citizens of Virginia, 
North Carolina, and other States, he 
,..-.-'Hs at fir?^,;«,7pose(i to that i' ' 

oy the adoption of tnir mh ,n iil,..l. , 
voted in its favor." 

He died in 1810, says Heitman; but 
others, some of his descendants, say he 
died at a later date, and that his re- 
mains were buried at Newport, Tenn. 

"Private" James Gaines (Virginia and 
North Carolina). It also appears that 
the military "record" in the independ- 
ence war of another "James Gaines," of 
Culpepper, father, Henry, a "private" 
all the time, is also mixed with the rec- 
ord of "Capt." James Gaines, of Culpep- 
?,1*'- J^^ "records" (Pension Office, 
War Department, and North Carolina 
records) show that he was with Wash- 
ington on the Delaware and with Lafay- 
ette in the South and at Yorktown, and 
alter the war ended moved to North 
Carolina, and there married Gary Kidd 
(evidently second marriage), was pen- 
sioned, and died (1852) in Moore County 
N. C; and that "three of his older broth- 
ers, with him at Yorktown, had long 
since gone West." 

"Capt." James Gaines died many years 
before. His last wife was a Strother. 
^ Thus, plainly, without more, it appears 
Private" James, of Culpepper County, 
Va., and Moore County, N. C, and 
Capt. James Gaines," of Culpepper 
County, Va.; Surry County, N. C; and 
huUivan County, Tenn., were two dif- 
ferent men, and that "Capt. and Capt.- 
Lieut. William Fleming Gaines" was a 
third man. 

John W. Gaines. 



.ivi 



^ ..i^-'^'-j. 






iLSn^' ""^ CONGRESS 

P l|l [ill IW||*l|l|l|l||»i|<|irn|ii,,,,~,,,, 

II w Hi \i III nil nil I III II 



011 698 431 3 * 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



I lll<il:lliyil|jllillll|:il|||||||]j|||| 
011698 4313 * 



HoUinger Corp. 
pH8.5 



